Who Is Melchizedek?

Melchizedek is a biblical figure, the King of Salem and a priest who blesses Abraham in the Book of Genesis. He appears and disappears suddenly in the 14th chapter of the Book of Genesis.

The name of Melchizedek is mentioned the second time in the Old Testament in Psalm 110. He does not appear in the New Testament, but Psalm 110 is cited there in a letter to the Hebrews. The letter identifies Jesus Christ as a "priest forever in the order of Melchizedek". The name of Melchizedek also appears in a collection of Gnostic writings from the fourth century and the Book of Mormon.